Pride flags at Edmonton libraries, dozens more transit peace officers at LRT stations, and one two-term councillor's decision to drop out of the coming municipal election in October are three stories that the co-hosts of Episode 299 of Speaking Municipally examined. Here's a snapshot:
1. Flagging Pride flags
On March 13, Civic Service Union 52, the union that includes library workers in Edmonton, posted a statement that alleged the Edmonton Public Library has directed staff to remove Pride flags from city libraries. But the library soon posted a statement that said the CSU statement was inaccurate.
Co-host Troy Pavlek questioned whether, because the EPL is a city-funded entity, voter reactions to the statements could emerge on campaign trail for the municipal election. "(Do Pride flags at the library) become an election issue?" he said. "It is politically charged right now, council is about to go into an election season, and there's going to be people running who have opinions."
2. LRT safety changes and perceptions
On March 18, council is scheduled to receive a report it requested to examine reallocating money away from private security to transit peace officers to increase safety on the LRT system. That report suggests hiring 30 transit peace officers while phasing out private security guards at stations. Pavlek said council's vote to endorse this recommendation is "as pretty close to a done deal as done deals get." For evidence, he pointed to Coun. Aaron Paquette comments on Reddit — that council urged these changes in the first place.
Despite ridership highs and a drop in the severity of crime at LRT stations, co-host Male said feelings are a big part of the transit safety conversation. "Perceptions of safety have consistently been a thing that has been on people's minds, and not just councillors'," he said. "This report, and this recommendation, is yet another thing that administration is trying to do here to improve both the real and, as importantly, the perceived safety of taking transit."
3. Hamilton bows out of race and endorsements
And then there were two. Following Coun. Andrew Knack's decision not to seek reelection in the 2025 municipal election, on March 13, Coun. Sarah Hamilton told Ryan Jespersen that she, too, will not seek reelection. Hamilton said she is not running for mayor, did not say whether she would run for office at the provincial or federal levels, and is not yet ready to endorse a mayoral candidate.
"At the end of the interview, Jespersen asked her, 'Are you endorsing anyone?'" Male said of the video. "She said, 'No.' She said she hasn't decided yet, (that) she wants to see how people campaign, that she might make a decision in the fall about who to endorse. And then she said something that I thought was really interesting: She basically explained that it's dangerous to make an endorsement of someone until you see if they're successful."
The March 14 episode of Taproot's civic affairs podcast also covered statues that are being stolen, public art at LRT stations, and more. Plus, Taproot's managing editor, Tim Querengesser, provided an update from the Taproot newsroom. Speaking Municipally comes out on Fridays. Listening and subscription options are all right here.